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No-tolerance rule stops making sense

When Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony was ejected from his team's season opener Thursday night, longtime Los Angeles Clippers fan and actor Billy Crystal got a courtside view. And Crystal knows a thing or two about ejections.

Eleven years ago, Crystal starred in the movie "Forget Paris." The plot centered around a hard-nosed NBA referee named Mickey. In the movie's most memorable scene, an emotional Mickey throws out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his farewell game, as well as a smiling Isiah Thomas and every player and coach on both teams on technical fouls. The way the NBA's new no-tolerance rules are working, it might be just a matter of time before an NBA referee pulls a "Mickey."

NBA commissioner David Stern gave refs the green light to slap quick techs on players who curse or simply show gestures of disappointment, such as throwing up their hands, or, in the case of Anthony, tossing their headbands. In the season's first three days, Anthony, Detroit's renowned bad boy Rasheed Wallace and Sacramento's Maurice Taylor and Mike Bibby were sent to the showers.

Although Anthony wasn't looking at or speaking to referee Ted Washington, he received a second technical with the Nuggets behind by two points in the third quarter. He got the "T" for throwing his headband to the floor after being called for his fourth foul.

"(Anthony) wasn't trying to show up the official," said Turner Sports analyst Charles Barkley. "He was coming out of the game. It was over with. He was frustrated. That happens."

Wallace, Mr. Technical himself, received the first of two technicals Wednesday for raising his hands when he was called for a foul on a blocked-shot attempt. Detroit lost 105-97 and trailed by three when Wallace was later ejected. Taylor said he received his second tech for staring at a ref after a tangle with Kevin Garnett.

"Every guy has his own emotion and own personality where they got to go out there," Anthony said Friday. "You got guys like KG who want to scream out there, and you've got Sam Cassell, who wants to talk the whole game. We've just got to get used to it. It's on us players to adjust to it."

Sure, players go overboard all the time. They need to be punished. But a big part of what makes the NBA attractive is that the players are emotional - more so than in other sports. Well, at least for now.

"There is going to be some reaction on every play in a game in that situation," Barkley said. "They are taking that away. They have to give some of these guys a warning. Number one, it's a passionate game. It's an emotional game. People are paying to see stars play."

Word is some refs aren't too fond of the new rule, either. Confident veteran refs will continue to call games the way they see fit. But with several refs having been fired in recent years, the young and middle-of-the-road refs are likely intimidated by big brother (i.e. Stern and NBA VP Stu Jackson). Expect the refs to give technicals easily and toss more stars.

"Forget Paris"? No, that was a good movie. But the NBA should forget its no-tolerance rule.

Scouting Buffs, Rams

An NBA scout said he was impressed with Colorado junior guard Richard Roby's jumper and conditioning at a recent practice but added that more consistency was needed. The scout also said Colorado State junior forward Jason Smith's already respectable skills have improved. Smith wowed scouts while playing in pickup games with many top collegians who were camp counselors at an Adidas prep hoops camp in Sewanee, Ga., last summer.

Footnotes

Word is the New York Knicks waived Jalen Rose primarily because his knees made him a step slow. ... The Nuggets are among teams being considered to have training camp in Europe next year. ... San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich declined comment on a recent statement by Nuggets coach George Karl, who said NBA coaches are better suited to coach USA Basketball than are college coaches. Popovich was a strong candidate to coach Team USA before Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski landed the gig from 2006-08. ... Chris Smith, brother of Nuggets guard J.R. Smith, is a senior combo guard at St. Benedict's Prep (N.J.). He is mulling scholarship offers from Rutgers, Seton Hall and Iowa State.

Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or mspears@denverpost.com. Spears can be heard talking NBA with Hall of Famer Dan Issel on "Roundball Rap" at 4 p.m. on Thursdays on ESPN 560 AM.

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